It's nice to see that the 1900s kept their shit together despite the intramural romantic implosion vaguely referred to in their press release. It's even nicer how the Chicago gathering's sophomore effort wanders away from the hazardous Fleetwood-Mac-meets-Ra-Ra-Riot territory of 2007's Cold & Kind. Return of the Century settles somewhere in an enchanted forest where the trees can be tapped for pure pop instead of maple syrup. Apart from "Overreactin,' " which sounds as if Stevie Nicks had written a cheesy song and manipulated the 1900s into recording it for her own dark amusement, the new release maintains an elegant, meditative, folksy chill throughout. Highlights include the effortless wash of "Kidnap Runaway" and any song with the bass mixed too loud. The inspiration for "I'm not so sorry that I took you along, you only saw me naked once" is said to have come from the indefinite vision quest of Licorice McKechnie of late-'60s folk revivalists the Incredible String Band. According to dubious legends, she disappeared into the Arizona desert sometime around 1990, never to be seen again. This is somewhat counter-intuitive. Everything feels dead in the desert, but Return is rife with life.

HOW TO DESTROY ANGELS | WELCOME OBLIVION | March 13, 2013 Whereas the monsters and ghosts of NIN songs can scream in your face and rip you to bits with their fangs, Welcome Oblivion tracks like techno-folk haunter "Ice Age" and the doom-pop jaunt "How Long?" make uncredited cameo appearances in your nightmares until you go insane and eat your own hands.

JOHNNY MARR | THE MESSENGER | February 25, 2013 Going solo is rarely a good decision. For every exception to the rule of who flourishes after unburdening themselves of the half-talents that have been holding them back — Justin Timberlake, for one — there are dozens of embarrassing Dee Dee Ramone rap albums that exist because Joey and Johnny Ramone weren't around to kibosh a terrible idea.

WHAT'S F'N NEXT? BUKE AND GASE | January 29, 2013 Almost every person I've told about Buke and Gase assumes that they'll hate this band, which isn't their fault.

BLEEDING RAINBOW | YEAH RIGHT | January 23, 2013 The only defect of the sort-of-but-not-really debut from Bleeding Rainbow (no longer called Reading Rainbow, possibly due to litigious ire festering under LeVar Burton's genial television persona) is that the Philly foursome merely hop off the launching point forged by Sonic Youth, My Bloody Valentine, and a handful of others from the oft-exalted grunge era.